Shakshuka

Shakshuka with All in All Ancient Grains Seasoned Turkey Sausage Patties

Ancient grains have seen a rapid rise in popularity recently. And for good reason. They’ve been proven to be beneficial for your body, they’re gluten-free, and they taste great too. That’s why we’ve combined them into these simple, tasty and super-healthy turkey sausages.

Everyone loves the occasional sausage for breakfast. And with the all-day breakfast segment growing each year, with more and more people opting to eat breakfast at any time of day, we can’t think of a better dish to eat these sausages with than an aromatic and rustic shakshuka.

Ingredients

For the Turkey Sausage:

135g Turkey mince

50g All in All Ancient Grains Seasoning

50g Water

The seeds of ½ fresh pomegranate

1/6 Small butternut squash, cubed and cooked

For the Shakshuka:

2 – 4 Tablespoons of olive oil (depending on size of pot)

2 Tin of plum tomatoes

2 Garlic cloves, finely minced

½ Sweet onion, finely sliced

1 Sweet red pepper, finely sliced

1 Sprig of thyme,

2 Bay leaves,

1 Heaped tablespoon of brown sugar

2 Tablespoons of balsamic vinegar

A Splash of red wine vinegar (or red wine, if you have a bottle open)

1 Tablespoon of smoked paprika

1 Tablespoon of cumin

1 Teaspoon of ground coriander

1 Teaspoon sumac

1 Cinnamon stick

1 Pinch of salt

1 Pinch of black pepper

1 Handful of coriander (stalks and all!)

1 Handful of good-quality feta cheese, crumbled

2 – 3 Medium eggs

INSTRUCTIONS

Get a small pot of water on the boil and add a hefty pinch of salt. Slice your squash down the centre and split it open. Take care doing this as the outer skin can be quite tough. You’ll now have two halves, but you only need one. Refrigerate one half for use later. Take the half you need for this recipe and cut the top third off it. The other 2/3 can be used later.

Peel the squash and cut into small, thumb-sized cubes. Once the water comes to a steady boil, carefully drop in your squash. Reduce the heat so the water simmers. Cook the squash for 8 minutes, or until tender, then drain. Let the squash dry on some kitchen paper and set aside.

Next, get a medium-sized, heavy-based saucepan onto a low to medium heat. Add your olive oil, followed by your sliced onion, garlic, thyme and bay leaf. Allow these some time to simmer and soften, but not colour. If they start to brown, reduce the heat.

Once the onions and garlic have softened and turned somewhat translucent, add a splash of vinegar or preferably red wine, and blast the heat up full-whack. Watch it reduce to a sticky, thick liquid, and then add your peppers. Turn the heat down low again and allow the peppers time to soften slightly.

Now, add all of your spices, black pepper and cinnamon stick, and gently fry until aromatic. These will soak up all the moisture – just keep scraping the bottom of the pan so they don’t stick. Once they have released their aromas (this takes around a minute or so), add your tinned tomatoes and balsamic vinegar and cook over a low heat until reduced to a thick sauce.

While this reduces, you can start on your sausages. Cut your pomegranate in half, slicing around the middle. Carefully remove the pomegranate seeds and watch out for splashes of juice. Don’t wear white clothes!

Now, get all your remaining sausage ingredients (see ingredients list above), and add to the pomegranate and butternut squash, and combine them in a bowl. Gently mix them together and shape into small, golf ball-sized pieces. Then, gently pat them down into little patties.

Pre-heat your oven to 160°C.

Once your shakshuka sauce is almost reduced, heat up a cast-iron or non-stick skillet or frying pan (one with an oven-proof handle) over a medium heat and add in another couple of table spoons of olive oil.

Gently place the patties into the pan and cook them until they have a golden-brown exterior on both sides.

Drain off any excess oil and carefully add in your sauce over the sausage patties At this point you can discard the bay leaves, cinnamon stick and thyme. Using a spoon, form 2 to 3 small wells and crack your eggs in. Then, top with a liberal sprinkling of crumbled feta.

Cover the top of the pan with foil and place it into the oven for around 8 to 12 minutes, or until the white of the eggs have just set. Remove it from the oven and finish with a sprinkle of sumac and a scattering of fresh coriander. The perfect breakfast, brunch (or dinner) for two!